Anybody ever live in a log home?

[Pepsi90919]

Originally posted by: skyking
they need dusted (the logs) inside and out quite often, or look crappy. Don't get me wrong, I really love the look. I'd apply a log "veneer" inside and out for an exact replica of the effect before I would own the real thing.

they need dusted. go back to school. lol

 

[AreaCode707]

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919

Originally posted by: skyking
they need dusted (the logs) inside and out quite often, or look crappy. Don't get me wrong, I really love the look. I'd apply a log "veneer" inside and out for an exact replica of the effect before I would own the real thing.

they need dusted. go back to school. lol

They need capitals too.

herbiehancock, thanks for the detailed article! Really appreciated!

 

[linuxboy]

Originally posted by: SagaLore
Consider this...

Put the log home on a solid and insulated basement. In the middle of the basement, put in a wood or gas stove, with the pipe going straight up through the house inside some ductwork and branch off ducts and vents to heat the house.

In your bedrooms and bathrooms, put up your standard insulation and drywall. And like someone else said, put in some nice insulated windows. You should look into this insulating paint additive and see if it can be added to wood stain or transparent glaze. You might be able to coat both sides of the wood logs with this stuff.

And someone else pointed out wind still creeping through - one good building strategy is to plant wind supressing trees on the windy side of the house.

Basically, that's what I wanted to do. I was going to put in a daylight basement underneath, and waterproof/insulate the heck out of it so that it would be warm and not damp. Instead of a high efficiency wood stove, I think I want to build a large masonry heating fireplace with a woodwaiter so that it could heat the bottom basement level, and the entire first floor. That way, I can burn a lot of wood at one time and have the masonry structure radiate heat through the day. Wood stoves, even though high efficiency, tend to burn hot, then die out. Instead of using ducts, I want to preserve the open feel by putting individual room heaters for places that don't get heated much from the masonry heater.

As for the drywall, yes, the second story and interior walls would be stick built. The carcass would be logs built with butt and pass corners and reinforced with rebar. I would use seasoned logs to avoid shrinking, and use expandable polyurethane foam in between for insulation, plus expandable chinking to minimize maintenance.

A butt and pass design will minimize expansion/contraction, while preventing wood rot because water can enter and exit the logs.

Termites shouldn't be a problem because the logs will be far away from the soil.

I'm going to build this on site, not from a kit, so some of the typical problems that come with kit homes (such as expansion/contraction, and holes between logs) should be minimizes, if not eliminated.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Cheers !

 

[linuxboy]

Originally posted by: j00fek
i would love to have a log house, but i dont have the $450000 to get one

Egads! It costs that much if you buy premade or let yourself be cheated by builders. Or, alternatively, if the land costs 400,000. Log houses are cheaper in most cases than stick built, especially if you build yourself. You can get a log frame built with dimentional lumber for the first floor and interior walls for 20 K with labor and materials for a log house. Try that for a stick built. You're looking at 15 K for labor a lone, at least, for a typical 3-4 BR house.

Cheers !

 

[Aquaman]

Look into "Strawbale" homes.......... you can make cool shaped houses and it's R-50

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[dxkj]

My neighbor put 2 trailers next to each other, connected them, and put half logs all around a frame on the outside to make it look like a log house.

The bark fell off

 

[linuxboy]

Originally posted by: Aquaman
Look into "Strawbale" homes.......... you can make cool shaped houses and it's R-50

Cheers,
Aquaman

I thought about it and just can't get used to the look.

Cheers !

 

[Aquaman]

Originally posted by: linuxboy

Originally posted by: Aquaman
Look into "Strawbale" homes.......... you can make cool shaped houses and it's R-50

Cheers,
Aquaman

I thought about it and just can't get used to the look.

Cheers !

well if you don't like it........ the horses can eat it

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[linuxboy]

Originally posted by: Aquaman
well if you don't like it........ the horses can eat it

Cheers,
Aquaman

That's silly. Horses eat hay .

Cheers !

 

[thecrecarc]

hm... blazing hot in the summer, freezing cold in the winter, nightmare to take care of.... nah

for vacation maybe, but full time, never!

 

[AreaCode707]

Originally posted by: linuxboy

Originally posted by: Aquaman
Look into "Strawbale" homes.......... you can make cool shaped houses and it's R-50

Cheers,
Aquaman

I thought about it and just can't get used to the look.

Cheers !

I dunno, makes it easy to have a quick roll in the hay.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: HotChic

Originally posted by: linuxboy

Originally posted by: Aquaman
Look into "Strawbale" homes.......... you can make cool shaped houses and it's R-50

Cheers,
Aquaman

I thought about it and just can't get used to the look.

Cheers !

I dunno, makes it easy to have a quick roll in the hay.

I'll take "Sides of my best friends that I try not to think about" for $1,000 Alex.

One of my best friends growing up in Ohio lived in a log house that was heated with a simple Franklin stove. They never seemed to have any real issues with the house.

ZV

 

[Aquaman]

Originally posted by: linuxboy

Originally posted by: Aquaman
well if you don't like it........ the horses can eat it

Cheers,
Aquaman

That's silly. Horses eat hay .

Cheers !

My horses will eat straw and like it......... why I remember when I was young...... the horses ate what we gave them....... and they liked it

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Coquito]

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude
i'll never forget the winter of 23 when i lost 3 toes to frost bite!

pic

Now seating...

Donner, party of nine.

 

[Orsorum]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: HotChic

Originally posted by: linuxboy

Originally posted by: Aquaman
Look into "Strawbale" homes.......... you can make cool shaped houses and it's R-50

Cheers,
Aquaman

I thought about it and just can't get used to the look.

Cheers !

I dunno, makes it easy to have a quick roll in the hay.

I'll take "Sides of my best friends that I try not to think about" for $1,000 Alex.

One of my best friends growing up in Ohio lived in a log house that was heated with a simple Franklin stove. They never seemed to have any real issues with the house.

ZV

I just wanted to poke fun at Zenmervolt, because I could.

Can't wait for this house to get rolling. I'm so excited for you guys!

(*snort* Get it? Rolling! Logs and rolling? Log rolling contests?)

 

[nakedfrog]

Some interesting reading for you

 

[crab]

I've always liked them, but I'm building a big brick one instead...

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[gamepad]

Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude
i'll never forget the winter of 23 when i lost 3 toes to frost bite!

pic

hahaha

 

[Lonyo]

http://www.channel4.com/4homes/ontv/grand-designs/houses/K/kent.html

 

[Triumph]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
Some interesting reading for you

Cool!

 

[GTaudiophile]

Have you checked these guys out yet?

http://www.lindal.com/homes/

 

[Miramonti]

Love it. (As long as non-satellite broadband is available.)